Thread: dSLR Cameras

So - I have an older "SLR-Like" point and shoot; Canon S1 IS. It was a great camera in its day, still is to this day, but I think I am ready for something a little more professional. I know the basics when it comes to all the SLR Tech talk - F/Stops, Shutter, Focal Points..Blah Blah - But I am in a digital photography class in school taking it as an "Art" credit...

ANYWAY - Obviously I will ask my professor for some sound advise, but who better to ask then travelers?

So, I am looking at the entry-level Canon Rebel XSI or known also known as 450D. It comes with a basic 18-55mm kit-lens. I was also going to get a starter Tele Lens that was inexpensive but got some good reviews and its range was 55-250mm.. Giving me a total of 15-250mm for less (barely - maybe not) then a grand... Of course I would break that grand since I would need hoods and filters and blah blah..

So, any dSLR owners who are non-photographers (photographers can chime in too ) who think it was the best investment and worth the extra bucks over a point and shoot or even a high end point and shoot?

Also anyone who has the XSI or its brother XS who can provide some feedback would be awesome...

Thanks all!!

I'm so glad you started this thread! I'm looking at upgrading from my point & shoot to a "Big Girl" camera myself. I've been wanting to for so long that I dream of cameras at night.

You've done your research and it shows. The XSI is a FANTASTIC camera and really is in line with the higher level "Professional" 40D. The ONLY mentionable difference between the two is frames per second and really, unless you are shooting sports photography, you don't need 25 frames per second. So you are looking at a professional level camera for an amature price.

Go for the XSI!! It's a really great camera. (I'm going to buy one myself this winter. There will be rebates if you can wait until Christmas time)
Plus, with the money you save buying this high quality but affordable camera, you can invest in a really nice lens or two. Like a 1.5 55mm. Super fast and great in low light, yet doesn't cost an arm & leg.

Originally Posted by Red Sonja

I'm so glad you started this thread! I'm looking at upgrading from my point & shoot to a "Big Girl" camera myself. I've been wanting to for so long that I dream of cameras at night.

You've done your research and it shows. The XSI is a FANTASTIC camera and really is in line with the higher level "Professional" 40D. The ONLY mentionable difference between the two is frames per second and really, unless you are shooting sports photography, you don't need 25 frames per second. So you are looking at a professional level camera for an amature price.

Go for the XSI!! It's a really great camera. (I'm going to buy one myself this winter. There will be rebates if you can wait until Christmas time)
Plus, with the money you save buying this high quality but affordable camera, you can invest in a really nice lens or two. Like a 1.5 55mm. Super fast and great in low light, yet doesn't cost an arm & leg.

Yeah, I think the XSI will be my choice, and only because I have had such great luck with Canon. I think Nikon makes great cameras too, but this XSI has features that will be great if you ask someone to use your camera to snap a picture of you or you and your significant other... Such as the live view.

There are so many pros to DSLR such as the "Raw" mode. Not sure what software you are or will be using but my professor suggested for people like myself who have not worked with Raw before, to utilize the Raw+JPEG Feature... Cost more memory, but you get a finished product "just in case."

Funny you mentioned the 1.5 55MM because that is my dilemma, the Lens. I know the XSI comes with a basic normal zoom 18-55MM, but what else to get LOL. I was looking at two lenses to get that I feel would be great "starter" lenses. One is the Canon EF-S 55-250MM with Image Stabilization with a f/4-5.6 aperture. Now I know that 5.6 is not very wide for a viewing angle, I think it might do okay for a novice like myself... It got some good reviews so to me it would be an inexpensive tele lens... I also am looking at the Canon EF 50MM f1.4 USM, from the reviews I read, it seems like this would be a great indoor lens, perfect for those "around the ship" shots...

Only downside to EF-S lens series is I believe they only fit on the smaller bodies such as the XSI.

I am thinking late October I will pick it up, I will be further into my Digital Photography class, and it will provide me a solid month to decide on extra lenses (if any - maybe ill make them xmas gifts ) and it will give me plenty of time to get a thousand shots or so through it to actually understand how to use it before our Jan cruise.

I do not think jumping into expensive lenses at this stage is a great idea, learn on cheaper models before I get a little nuts

The 50MM 1.4f is a really great starter lens and probably will be the one that I get as well. It's a bit spendier than the 55mm that so many people get with their XSI package, but that's because it's a better quality lens. Really, you could do a lot of shooting with that before even needing a 2nd lens.

Are you enjoying your photography class? I took one last year just for fun and LOVED it. It was fun going out on shooting assignments.

What's your favorite picture you took so far?

Well I got good news for you... A co-worker was telling me he just picked up the Canon XS the newer model but not so good in my opinion, I think the XSI is a better camera for just a few dollars more... Anyway, he said it takes great pictures and was worth every cent.. And his older lenses fit and work great on it.

We are only into the 3rd week, so I have not taken any great pictures, but I have already learned more then I knew 3 weeks ago about Aperture and all that...

This week I might get a great few shot as we need to take depth pictures and learn about focal points... kinda excited to see how they turn out....To take a pic of something close up and make the background blurry and all...

So much to learn seems like it will be a lot of fun!

Be sure to share your pictures!

I can't wait to get an XSI. I've been bugging the guy at the camera shop here so much. He must be tired of seeing me.

THIS LADY AGAIN!!

soon your going to get the "buy something or get out"

If I take anything cool, I will...

OH and if I do grab that XSI like planned at the end of Oct, I'll post some sample pics and post a RAW file or might have to e-mail that one?? Anyway, I can send you a RAW of a flower or something so you can tool around with it...

Have you been working in Photoshop in your class? Our class ended up spending a lot of time learning Photoshop which I found really valuable. I was thinking about taking a Photoshop class just to learn more.

We have not yet started with PS but we will... Will be using PS CS3 even though CS4 was just released.

I have some knowledge with PS - co-worker gave me a bunch of beginner "how-to's" dvd's, learned a fair amount from them... Forgot a fair amount too

PS is so powerful that I do not even think it knows how powerful it is. I actually wanted to take a Photoshop course instead of the digital photography, but I forget what the deal was with that.. I think it had pre-requisite and since I am a Computer Major, only need 1 ART elective. Actually did not even need an ART could have been anything within a bunch of codes.. Anyway, I decided to take the digital photography class and I am glad I did...

I can follow a textbook but only so far if it is not for school, so maybe I'll try and find more of those DVD's - because I would love to learn more...... I do not need to draw stuff, just want to know where all menus are and how to use the touch up tools correctly. I do know the most important thing to get your fingers around is layers and to set your undo history to something useful like 250.

PicasaWeb by google is no where near as powerful but is perfect for the everyday things people want to do, such as Crop, Color Correction, Size correction, Import from scanner, and I read it can open RAW files too...Never tried...

Never used Goggle's software for photo editing, but I'll bet they make it even better. The ability to open RAW files is great. I've not worked with RAW that much, since it takes so much space on your card, plus PS is so versatile I haven't taken the time to try working with RAW yet.
Maybe it's time?